If you’re tired of hearing about “sales and marketing alignment” but still stuck in endless meetings where the two teams can’t agree on basic numbers, this one’s for you. I’ve spent real time with the Ring B2B GTM software tool—digging in, not just skimming a demo. Here’s the no-nonsense guide on what it actually does, what it doesn’t, and whether it’s worth your team’s budget and patience.
Who Should Even Care About Ring?
Let’s be honest: If you’re a founder juggling five jobs, or a sales leader already drowning in tools, you don’t want another dashboard just for the sake of it. Ring is built for mid-sized B2B companies (think: 20+ sales reps, a real marketing team, and a messy handoff between the two). If you’re at a startup with three people, skip it. If you’re at a 500-person org where Excel is running your pipeline, this might actually save your sanity.
What Is Ring (and What Isn't It)?
Ring calls itself a “GTM orchestration platform.” Translation: It’s supposed to help sales and marketing teams get on the same page about leads, campaigns, and revenue targets. You connect your CRM (think Salesforce, HubSpot), marketing automation (like Marketo, Pardot), and sometimes your data warehouse. Ring tries to sit in the middle, making sure everyone’s working from the same source of truth.
What it’s not: - It’s not a CRM. - It’s not a marketing automation tool. - It’s not a silver bullet for fixing broken teams or bad processes.
If you want something that’ll magically make sales and marketing get along, this isn’t it. But if you want to see the same numbers, stop arguing about attribution, and actually track what’s working, keep reading.
Getting Started: Setup, Integrations, and The First 48 Hours
Here’s what’s good: Ring’s onboarding isn’t painful—if your data is in decent shape. The setup wizard walks you through connecting Salesforce (or whatever CRM you use), your email platform, and marketing tools. It took me under an hour, but I had admin access and clean API keys. If your data’s a mess, expect some delays. There’s live chat support, but don’t expect a white-glove rollout unless you’re a big customer.
Pro tip: Have someone from both sales and marketing on the initial setup call. You’ll avoid permissions headaches later.
What works: - Pre-built connectors for popular tools, so you don’t need a developer. - Data mapping is visual—drag and drop, not SQL.
What’s annoying: - If you’ve got lots of custom fields or workflows, mapping can get tedious. - Some integrations (especially with older marketing tools) are “coming soon.” Double-check compatibility before you sign up.
Features That Actually Matter (and Some That Don’t)
Let’s cut the fluff. Here’s what’s worth your time inside Ring, and what you can ignore.
1. Unified Pipeline Views
Finally, one dashboard where both sales and marketing see the same pipeline. No more screenshots from two different systems in the weekly meeting. You can filter by campaign, owner, stage, or even by “marketing-sourced” vs “sales-sourced” leads.
Worth it? Yes—if you’re fighting over numbers every week, this ends the debate.
2. Attribution Reporting
Ring tracks which campaigns, channels, and reps are actually moving deals. Multi-touch attribution is built in, so you can see the real path from lead to closed deal.
Reality check: Attribution is only as good as your data. If reps don’t update the CRM, no tool can fix that.
3. Playbooks and Automation
You can build “playbooks”—basically, automated sequences that nudge leads through the funnel. For example: If a lead hits a certain score and hasn’t been touched in 3 days, notify the right rep and trigger a follow-up email.
Nice to have, not game-changing. Most teams use this for basic reminders. Don’t expect AI magic.
4. Meeting Sync and Handoffs
Ring logs meetings, tracks handoffs from marketing to sales, and flags leads that fall through the cracks. This helps with accountability—no more finger-pointing over lost deals.
Works well: If you’re struggling with leads getting “stuck,” this is one of Ring’s most practical features.
5. Forecasting and Dashboards
Ring tries to predict pipeline health with charts and forecasts. It pulls in campaign data, sales activity, and conversion rates.
Be skeptical: Forecasting is only as good as your inputs. If your team sandbags numbers or skips updates, forecasts will be off. Still, it’s better than a spreadsheet.
6. “AI Insights”
Yes, Ring throws around “AI” a lot. In reality, most of it is basic analytics with some recommendations (e.g., “This campaign has a higher conversion rate than average”). It’s not going to write your emails or close your deals.
Ignore the AI hype. Focus on the actual reports and alerts.
What’s Missing? (And What to Watch Out For)
No tool is perfect, and Ring’s no exception. Here’s what you might miss or find frustrating:
- Customization Limits: You can tweak dashboards and reports, but you’re stuck with Ring’s way of thinking about the funnel. Truly custom reporting (the kind you’d build in Tableau or Looker) isn’t here.
- Pricing Transparency: Pricing isn’t always clear on their site. Expect to talk to sales. Some features are only in higher tiers.
- Learning Curve: It’s not rocket science, but if your team is used to working in silos, there’s some change management ahead.
- Mobile Experience: The mobile app is okay for checking numbers, but don’t expect to run your day from your phone.
Pro tip: Before you roll it out, map your current funnel, handoffs, and reporting headaches. Make a list of what you want Ring to solve—otherwise you’ll just be adding another tool to your stack.
Real-World Results: Does Ring Actually Help?
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Does Ring make sales and marketing alignment easier? In most mid-sized teams I’ve seen, yes—if (big if) you use it as intended:
- Fewer arguments over numbers: Everyone sees the same data.
- Better handoffs: Leads don’t get lost as often, and you can actually track follow-ups.
- Campaign accountability: Marketing gets credit for real revenue, not just MQLs.
But: Ring won’t fix a dysfunctional team, and it won’t replace leadership. If you don’t have agreement on what counts as a “qualified lead,” or if sales and marketing barely talk, Ring is just a fancy mirror showing you the same problems.
When Not to Bother
- You’re tiny, moving fast, and everyone already talks daily.
- You don’t have a CRM or any marketing automation in place yet.
- You’re looking for magic AI that’ll run your GTM for you.
Save your money and your time.
Simple Steps for Getting Value Out of Ring
Want to avoid another failed rollout? Here’s the straight path:
- Get buy-in from both teams—sales, marketing, and ideally ops.
- Clean up your CRM and marketing data before integrating.
- Define your key metrics and handoffs—don’t let Ring dictate them.
- Start with unified pipeline and handoff tracking—ignore fancy features until you’ve nailed the basics.
- Train your team—not just on clicking buttons, but on how and why you’re using Ring.
- Revisit and tweak—drop what you don’t use, double down on what actually saves you time.
The Bottom Line
Ring is a useful tool—if you need it, and if you’re willing to do a bit of work up front. It’s not going to save you from broken processes or lazy reporting habits, but it can help you finally see (and fix) where sales and marketing are out of sync.
The best advice? Don’t get distracted by buzzwords or fancy dashboards. Start simple, focus on the basics, and iterate from there. Tools are only as good as the habits and teams behind them.